Carmenere

I had earlier commented on how much I enjoyed the food and wine pairing of ham and Malbec that I tried during a holiday party; for Easter dinner, we had a smoked ham, and I decided to pair it with Carmenere, another Bordeaux varietal that is increasingly grown in South America (and it has not been grown in Bordeaux since a phylloxera outbreak there in the 19th century). We picked up the only bottle of Carmenere I could find at Larry's Market (and it was the last bottle): the Arboleda 2002 Colchagua Valley Carmenere from Chile ($13). It was full, spicy and tannic, and complimented the ham -- and the potatoes au gratin -- quite nicely. On its own, I think I like it even better than the Malbec, but I think a side-by-side comparison is called for ... assuming I can find more of this wine.